Wire fabric



March 7, 1939.

WIRE FABRIC E. .BLACKBURN Filed Dec. 2o

IN VEN TOR:

BY ATTORNEYS. Y

Patented Mar. 7, 1939 UNITED STATES WIRE FABRIC Ernest Linwood Blackburn, Philadelphia, Pa., as-

signor to Korb-Pettit Wire Fabrics & Iron Works, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a. corporation of Pennsylvania Application December zo, 1937, serial No. 180,760

Claims.

My invention relates to a wire fabric adapted for use as a screen, apron, orY belt, and especially as a conveyor belt. Amongst the advantages that can be secured with a belt of my. fabric are strength and rigidity, freedom from stretching and from contraction in width under tension, irnmunity to diagonal distortion by forces acting crosswise of the fabric, .and freedom from transverse creepage on the pulleys or other means jemployed for supporting, guiding, or driving the belt. In addition, the fabric affords maximum friction with such pulleys, as Well as with material or articles resting on the belt when it is used as a conveyor. It can be so made as to combine extreme closeness of texture with ample flexibility for all practical purposes. Still other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description of species or forms of embodiment, and from the drawing.

In the drawing, Fig. I is a fragmentary plan View of one side of a close-texture fabric embodying the invention, partly in section as indicated by the line and arrows I-I in Fig. II.

Fig. II is an edge View of the fabric, taken as indicated by the line and arrows II-II in Fig. I.

Fig. III is a longitudinal section of the fabric taken as indicated by the line and arrows III-III in Fig. I.

Fig. IV is a transverse section, taken as indicated by the line and arrows IV-IV in Fig. I.

Figs. V and VI are side and end Views, respectively, of a structural member or element which may be employed in constructing my fabric.

Figs. VII and VIH are side views of other structural members or elements.

Fig. IX is a fragmentary plane View illustrating a stage in the assembling of structural elements into a fabric.

To make the drawing clearer, some of the wires are stippled in certain gures.

Referring to Fig. I of the drawing, the fabric as there illustrated may be characterized as having each of its faces formed by a series of transverse rows A of short lengths of wire I0, I I, which may be inclined relative to the length of the fabric, preferably at different angles in alternation. As here shown, the alternate lengths I0, I I of each rod A are oppositely inclined, so that any tendency of the lengths I0 to push the fabric sidewise, in service, by their engagement with supporting pulleys or rolls (not shown) is counteracted by the opposite tendency of the lengths I I. In each row A, the set of alternate lengths Ill are slightly staggered (lengthwise of the fabric) relative to the interlapping set consisting of the (Cl. 24S-6) lengths Il. Each set oflengths Ill or 'II at one face of the fabric corresponds in lengthwise position to a set Il! or II of lengths I0 or I I at the oppositeface of the fabric, and each wire length Ill or. II of a row A at one face has its ends (integrally) connected at I2 with lengths I0 or II at the opposite face, belonging to the corresponding row A there.

Regarding any two successive rows A, A at either face, it will be seen that their lengths I0, II interlap, and that a (straight) transverse wire strand I3 extends across the fabric between these interlapping lengths Ill, II at the two faces of the fabric, and (by engagement with the connective portions I2 already referred to) interconnects the two successive rows A, A like a pivot. As shown in Fig. II, the lengths I0, I I that lie substantially opposite one another at the two faces in effect form a simple chain-link composed of strands which overlap one another, in the mid-plane or pitch-plane of the fabric, at the ends or bends I2 of the link,-which are thus double,-and the pivot strands I3 extend through both these double bends of each such link, which cross in the midor pitch-plane of the fabric.

In the preferred form and construction here illustrated, the fabric is made up by assembling wire spirals or coils a. and a (Figs. V, VI, and VII) which are oppositely wound, as rights and lefts, but may otherwise be just alike. Preferably, the convolutions of these coils a., a.' are elongated lengthwise of the fabric,-or in other words, flattened in the direction of its thickness, Fig. VI. Each row A in the fabric corresponds to a structural unit which consists of a pair (or set) of the coils a and a. whose convolutions have been interlapped (as it were) by pushing them amongst one another while keeping the coils in the same plane,-two such structural units A appearing in Fig. IX. Asa result of this mode of assembling, the long sides of the convolutions, which form the lengths Ill and I I in the fabric, all lie in the two parallel planes that define its opposite faces, while the bends I2 of the convolutions of the two coils cross and bear against each other at opposite ends of the convolutions, in an intermediate plane which is the midor pitch-plane of the fabric. As shown inl Fig. IX, two such units A, A may be assembled with the convolutions of their adjacent coils a and a' interlapped (more or less), and may be secured together by inserting the strand I3 through the crossed bends I 2, I2 of bo'th coils a, a' of each unit A. From this beginning, any length of fabric desired can bebuilt up, by simply adding on more units A and securing them with the necessary additional strands I3. Preferably, the ends of each strand I3 are secured to those of (at least) one of the strands Ill and II of a corresponding unit A in a secure manner, as by electric welding or other method of fusion, as shown at I4.

As a matter of manipulation in manufacture, it may be found convenient to add single coils a and a in alternation to the initial unit A, inserting a strand I3 after each pair or set of coils a, a', to secure them. In this case, the assemblage of coils to form units A is, so to speak, merged in the addition of single coils a and a' to the fabric.

As shown in Fig. I, the long convolution sides or lengths I0 and II of the units Aare so proportioned relative to the angle of divergence to these lengths I0 and II that when the strands I3 securing the units A together are perfectly straight, as here shown, adjacent lengths I and il of adjacent units A lie almost in contact. To the eye, therefore, the fabric in Fig. I is composed of herringbone stripes of oppositely inclined lengths I0, II which seem to touch one another without a break, thus forming an unbroken face. Hence the fabric presents in its faces a maximum number of wire lengths IQ, I I, giving it maximum tensile strength and maximum surface friction with the pulleys or rolls supporting it in service, as well as with the load resting on it, and a minimum of interstices. While such a close-textured fabric can be designed to bend to' a radius of an inch or less, it is otherwise very rigid, and cannot be made tostretch or contract lengthwise without flexure, or be distorted diagonally. As shown in Figs. II and III, the fabric presents unbroken flat faces at both sides, owing to the contiguity and interlapping of the wire lengths Ii), Il.

It is obvious, however, that by making th-e lengths I0 and II longer, or otherwise suitably Varying the structure, these lengths IIJ and II can be spaced apart as much as desired, giving a more open texture and a lighter weight per unit of area,though with a corresponding sacrifice of strength, rigidity, and surface friction.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: l. A fabric comprising two series of transverse rows of short wire lengths arranged with the lengths of successive rows interlapping, and with those of each series in the same plane and forming one face of the fabric, and integrally connected to the lengths of th-e other series; and transverse wire strands extending between the wire lengths of the two series, and each interconnecting the wire lengths of two successive rows with those of the adjacent two successive rows.

2. A fabric comprising a series of transverse rows of links, the links of each row having their sides oppositely inclined in alternation and exposed substantially alike at both faces of the fabric, and being composed of strands overlapping one another at the bends of the links, which are thus double; and transverse pivots each extending through the double bends of the links of adjacent rows, and thus interconnecting them.

3. A fabric comprising a series of strands which are oppositely coiled in alternation, and having their'convolutions interlapped in sets, each set having the convolutions of its component coils crossed at their opposite sides, substantially in the midor pitch-plane of the fabric, and laterally in contact substantially in the facial planes of the fabric, and the successive sets also being similarly interlapped, with their adjacent convolutions laterally in contact in the facial planes of the fabric; and a common strand extending through the several coils of each pair of interlapped sets, and thus interconnecting them.

4. A fabric comprising a series of transverse units each comprising a pair of strands oppositely coiled, with their convolutions interlapped and crossing at both the opposite sides of the coil substantially in the mid-y or pitch-plane of the fabric; and a series of single transverse pivot strands, each extending through both coils of adjacent units and pivotally interconnecting them.

5. A link-unit for a fabric of the character described comprising a pair of strands oppositely coiled in elongated convolutions, and interlapped with the corresponding long sides of all their convolutions in common planes, and with corresponding bends of said convolutions crossing in contact with one another in substantially the mid-plane between the long sides.

ERNEST LIN WOOD BLACKBURN. 

